Of the five elemental ninjutsu types, Lightning Release might not always pack the hardest punch. But when it came to raw speed, nothing else came close.
Whether it was the various bolt-throwing techniques or the Raikage's signature lightning cloak, Lightning Release consistently outpaced every other element. Speed was its calling card.
And Darbi, being a Kumogakure-born jounin, naturally had solid Lightning Release in his toolkit. Though as an intelligence operative, his specialty wasn't combat. It was infiltration. Stealth. Getting in and out without anyone noticing.
His go-to technique, "Raiton: Raigenshin," was a perfect example. Similar in principle to the Yondaime Raikage's lightning armor, it used electrical stimulation to supercharge the body's muscle fibers, dramatically boosting speed and agility. Tailor-made for a spy.
Fast. Really fast. But I can't just let him run.
The instant Darbi activated Raigenshin, Miyuki felt the world lurch. Being carried on this guy's shoulder suddenly felt like riding a runaway roller coaster. But this was the opposite of what he needed.
"Kaguya-hime! Stop him!"
The command was instant. The tiny white figure that had been hovering behind him after smashing the roof moved immediately.
Now, Kaguya-hime's Speed stat was only C-rank. Under normal circumstances, she couldn't keep up with Darbi at full sprint. But Miyuki was still draped over Darbi's shoulder. Kaguya-hime's position was anchored to her user, which meant she was getting a free ride at Darbi's own speed. She shot forward past him in a blink, positioning herself directly ahead.
Miyuki didn't order her to attack Darbi. Instead, he aimed for the corridor floor.
Kaguya-hime's small palm swept across the wooden floorboards in a single pass. Clean, precise cuts punched through the timber, leaving a cluster of holes. Each one just the right size for a foot to drop into.
What?! Darbi was moving too fast and scanning for threats in every direction. By the time the floor ahead of him started crumbling, it was already too late to adjust. His right foot plunged straight into one of the holes.
For someone sprinting at full speed, losing their footing like that was devastating. It didn't matter how sharp your reflexes were. At that velocity, the body's forward momentum couldn't be stopped. All of that force had nowhere to go except straight into the ankle joint.
CRACK. The sound was nauseating. Darbi's leg buckled, pain exploded up from his right foot, and his entire body pitched forward into the floor.
Miyuki was a devious little bastard about it, too. He hadn't told Kaguya-hime to tear up the whole floor or blast it apart. He'd specifically had her punch a series of foot-sized holes. Just deep enough to catch a sprinting man's stride.
Full speed into a pothole. Simple physics. The faster you're going, the worse you eat it. Darbi had just demonstrated that truth with his own body.
WHOOSH. The impact launched Miyuki off Darbi's shoulder like a ragdoll, his tiny body sailing through the air. But Kaguya-hime was already there. She materialized at his side instantly, catching him with her small, pale hands and guiding him down.
Miyuki had been ready for this. The whole sequence, from launch to landing, was seamless. He touched down on the ground lightly, like he weighed nothing at all.
"First team combo. Full marks."
He turned to Kaguya-hime and grinned, then reached up and patted her white hair. His fingers found the left rabbit-ear protrusion on top of her head and gave it a little rub.
"Guu..."
She couldn't talk yet, but when he touched her she made a soft cooing sound, like a contented rabbit. A faint pink flush crept across her cheeks. She seemed to enjoy it.
"Over here! Wait, isn't that the heir?!"
"Hold on, who's that on the ground?!"
The Hyuuga shadow guards arrived on scene just as Miyuki's feet hit the floor. What greeted them was their clan's young heir standing there calmly, looking perfectly fine, and some unknown man wobbling upright on one leg in a broken-flamingo stance. The man's expression was grim.
One leg was done. The shadow guards had closed in. For Darbi, this mission was effectively over.
"You! Identify yourself! We won't ask twice!"
The shadow guards, dressed head to toe in black with only their pale Byakugan eyes visible, surrounded Darbi with weapons drawn. They were veterans. They could read the scene instantly: Kumo shinobi plus the clan heir in the same place equaled exactly one thing.
At that moment, Darbi remembered the orders he'd been given before departing. The words of Kumo's senior advisor, the elder called Rasetsu, who currently held the reins of power in the village.
"If the mission is compromised, you will die inside the Hyuuga compound. Retreat is not permitted under any circumstances. Understood?"
"...Understood."
Darbi knew exactly what that order meant. The advisor didn't care about him. Rasetsu wanted the Byakugan, and he'd burn through as many people as it took to get it.
Best case scenario: Darbi brings back the heir, and Kumo gets the Byakugan. Worst case: Darbi dies on Hyuuga soil, and Kumo gets to weaponize his "diplomat" status during the most politically sensitive moment possible.
Under normal circumstances, Konoha's leadership might have told Kumo to shove it. But right now, both villages were in the middle of ceasefire negotiations. If a Kumo envoy turned up dead inside a Konoha clan compound, the Hyuuga would have to pay. Some kind of concession, some kind of sacrifice. Even Konoha's own leadership would agree to it, because in their eyes, one or two lives weighed nothing against ending a war...
Darbi took a long breath. He reached up and wiped his hand across his face. The young Hyuuga features melted away, revealing his real appearance underneath the transformation jutsu.
A rough, weathered face. Deep brown skin that immediately marked him as someone from the northeast. From the Land of Lightning. His identity was now announced to everyone present without a single word being spoken.
A shinobi follows orders. Even when those orders cost him his life.
I was born Kumogakure's man, and I'll die Kumogakure's ghost. Let my life be the last thing I give my village. The resolve in his chest felt almost noble.
"Kumogakure?! He was after the heir! Surround him! Take him alive!"
The shadow guards' faces hardened the instant Darbi's true appearance was exposed. These were seasoned fighters. They knew exactly what a Kumo nin standing next to the clan's firstborn meant.
"Hmph! I am an official envoy of Kumogakure! If you have the guts, then—"
"Hold on. Don't misunderstand."
A child's voice cut through the tension. Clear, calm, and completely out of place.
Every head turned. The shadow guards. Darbi. All of them looked toward the source.
Miyuki was standing in the courtyard, bathed in moonlight, wearing an expression so relaxed he might as well have been enjoying an evening stroll.
"Miyuki-sama? What are you—"
"Didn't you hear me? I said this man is nothing more than a rogue ninja. He's not affiliated with Kumogakure. He took advantage of the delegation's arrival today, killed one of the real envoys, assumed his appearance, and snuck in here to cause trouble. He has nothing to do with the village of Kumogakure. Are we clear?"
Under the pale wash of moonlight, the small figure of Hyuuga Miyuki carried a weight that didn't belong to a three-year-old. His words were measured, his logic airtight, his delivery flawless. There was nothing childish about any of it.